Although the "Mid-2010" models look essentially the same externally as the "Early 2009" models, all "Mid-2010" models are equipped with faster graphics and there are significant technical differences for the higher-end "Westmere" models as well with faster processors and as many as twelve cores (two six core processors) via custom configuration.

Also see:

What are the differences between the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models? What are the differences between the standard and custom configurations of the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro line?

What are the differences between the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models and the "Early 2009" Mac Pro models that they replaced?

The "Introduction Date" refers to the date a model was introduced via press release. The "Discontinued Date" refers to the date a model either was replaced by a subsequent system or production otherwise ended.

Geekbench 2 benchmarks are in 32-bit and 64-bit modes, respectively. These numbers reflect an average of user provided 32-bit and 64-bit results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.

You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit and 64-bit Geekbench 2 user submissions for Macs with the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.

These Geekbench 3 benchmarks are in 32-bit mode and are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.

You also might be interested in reviewing all 32-bit single core and multicore Geekbench 3 user submissions for Macs with the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.

These Geekbench 3 benchmarks are in 64-bit mode and are for a single processor core and all processor cores, respectively. Both numbers reflect an average of user provided results as submitted to the Geekbench website. Higher numbers are better.

You also might be interested in reviewing all 64-bit single core and multicore Geekbench 3 user submissions for Macs with the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier, which may include multiple models.

The 64-bit 45-nm Xeon W3565 (Nehalem) processor has four independent processor "cores" each with a dedicated 256k level 2 cache, 8 MB of "fully shared" level 3 cache, an integrated memory controller, and "a 128-bit SSE4 SIMD engine". It also supports "Hyper-Threading" -- which "allows two threads to run simultaneously on each core" (sso Mac OS X recognizes eight total cores on this model, four real and four virtual) -- and "Turbo Boost" -- which "automatically boosts the processor speed based on workload" (so if an application is only using one of the four cores it will automatically increase the speed of the core in use and turn off the unused cores).

Also see: How fast are the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models compared to one another? How much faster are the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models compared to the "Early 2009" Mac Pro models replaced?

Turbo Boost:

3.46 GHz

Custom Speeds:

N/A

Details:

N/A

Processor Upgrade:

LGA 1366 Socket

FPU:

Integrated

Details:

Also see: How do you upgrade the processors in the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models? How are the processors mounted?

System Bus Speed:

4.8 GT/s*

Cache Bus Speed:

3.2 GHz (Built-in)

Details:

*This has a "QuickPath Interconnect" (QPI) system described as a "bidirectional, point-to-point connection" that provides "quick access to the disk, I/O, and other Mac Pro subsystems" in lieu of a "traditional" system bus. Intel reports that it runs at 4.8 GT/s.

ROM/Firmware Type:

EFI

EFI Architecture:

64-Bit

Details:

N/A

L1 Cache:

32k/32k x4

L2/L3 Cache:

256k (x4), 8 MB*

Details:

*Each core has its own dedicated 256k level 2 cache and the system has 8 MB of "fully shared" level 3 cache as well.

RAM Type:

PC3-8500 DDR3 ECC

Min. RAM Speed:

1066 MHz

Details:

Uses "1066 MHz DDR3 ECC SDRAM" (PC3-8500) modules.

Also see: How do you upgrade the RAM in the "Mid-2010" Mac Pro models? How much RAM do they actually support?

Standard RAM:

3 GB

Maximum RAM:

48 GB**

Details:

3 GB of RAM is installed as three 1 GB modules. One slot is free.

**Apple officially supports 16 GB of RAM in this model. However, as first noted by site sponsor Other World Computing, this model actually can support 48 GB of RAM.

In the US (and many other countries), site sponsor OWC sells memory -- as well as other upgrades -- for this Mac Pro.

*Four memory slots are provided on the "slide out" processor tray. Note that this model supports triple channel memory addressing and performance is improved by installing memory in groups of three.

Video Card:

Radeon HD 5770

VRAM Type:

GDDR5 SDRAM

Details:

By default, an ATI Radeon HD 5770 with 1 GB of GDDR5 memory is installed in a double-wide, 16-lane PCI Express 2.0 graphics slot. The card has two Mini DisplayPorts and one dual-link DVI port. By custom configuration it also can be equipped with an ATI Radeon HD 5870 which also has 1 GB of GDDR5 memory for an additional US$200 or two ATI Radeon HD 5770 video cards for an additional US$250.

Also see: What are the default graphics cards provided with each Mac Pro? What Mac Pro compatible video cards are available for purchase later? Which video cards have which ports?

Standard VRAM:

1 GB

Maximum VRAM:

1 GB

Details:

Other graphics cards can be pre-installed at the time of purchase or can be installed later.

Display Support:

Up to 6 Displays*

Resolution Support:

2560x1600*

Details:

*Apple advertises that this system is capable of supporting up to six displays but notes that "connecting more than three displays requires installation of two ATI Radeon HD 5770 video cards". Apple also notes that there is "a maximum of two DVI-based displays per graphics card." By default, one ATI Radeon HD 5770 video card is installed and this default video card is capable of supporting three displays -- digital resolutions up to 2560x1600 and analog resolutions up to 2048x1536.

2nd Display Support:

Dual/Mirroring

2nd Max. Resolution:

2560x1600

Details:

The ATI Radeon HD 5770 is capable of supporting three 30-inch displays with a resolution of 2560x1600 in either dual display or mirrored mode.

By default, this system shipped with a single 1 TB (7200 RPM, 32 MB cache) Serial ATA 3Gb/s hard drive. Apple formally supports up to 8 TB of storage with four 2 TB hard drives (one in each internal bay). Via custom configuration, Apple offered to swap the 1 TB drive with a 2 TB drive for an extra US$150 or with a 512 GB SSD for an extra US$1250.

Also see: How do you upgrade the hard drives in the Mac Pro models? How many drives of what type are supported?

Apple reports that this SATA "18X" double layer DVD±R DL/DVD±RW/CD-RW SuperDrive "writes DVD+R and DVD-R discs at up to 18x speed, DVD+R DL and DVD-R DL discs at up to 8x speed, DVD+RW discs at up to 8x speed, DVD-RW discs at up to 6x speed, reads DVDs at up to 18x speed writes CD-R and CD-RW discs at up to 32x speed, [and] reads CDs at up to 32x speed."

Also see: What options are available for the second "optical drive bay" on the Mac Pro? How do you install a second optical drive or replace the primary one?

Standard Modem:

None

Standard Ethernet:

Gigabit (x2)

Details:

The system has "two independent 10/100/1000BASE-T [Gigabit] Ethernet (RJ-45) interfaces with support for jumbo frames."

Standard AirPort:

802.11a/b/g/n

Standard Bluetooth:

2.1+EDR

Details:

AirPort Extreme (802.11a/b/g/n) and Bluetooth 2.1+EDR is standard.

USB Ports:

5 (2.0)

Firewire Ports:

4 (800)

Details:

This Mac Pro model has five USB 2.0 ports on the system (two on the front panel and three on the back) and four Firewire "800" ports (two on the front and two on the back). Apple also advertises that there are "two USB 2.0 ports on [the] included keyboard".

Expansion Slots:

4 PCIe 2.0*

Expansion Bays:

4 3.5", 2 5.25"

Details:

*This model has four full-length PCI Express (PCIe) 2.0 expansion slots, two x16 slots and two x4 slots. In the default configuration, one PCIe 2.0 x16 slot is occupied by the graphics card. Apple also reports that "all slots provide mechanical support for 16-lane cards" and there is a "300W combined maximum for all PCI Express slots."

In the default configuration, one internal 3.5" bay is occupied by a hard drive and three are free, and one external 5.25" bay is occupied by a "SuperDrive" and the other is free.

Also see: How many PCI slots of what type are provided by each Mac Pro model? How do you install a PCIe card in the Mac Pro?

Incl. Keyboard:

Apple Aluminum KB

Incl. Input:

Magic Mouse

Details:

Shipped with an "ultra-thin aluminum" Apple Keyboard with an embedded numeric keypad (0.33 inches at the front edge) and the Apple wireless "Magic Mouse", where the "entire top is a seamless multi-touch surface" that allows one to "navigate using intuitive finger gestures". As an optional US$69 upgrade, this model also can be configured with a "Magic Trackpad" that provides multi-touch input like on a recent Apple notebook.

Also see: All Macs with the A1289 Model Number, the 2314-2 EMC Number, and the MacPro5,1 Model Identifier.

For more about these identifiers and how to locate them on each Mac, please refer to EveryMac.com's Mac Identification section.

Battery Type:

N/A

Battery Life:

N/A

Details:

N/A

Pre-Installed MacOS:

X 10.6.4 (10F2521)

Maximum MacOS:

Current*

Details:

*This system fully supports the last version of OS X 10.8 "Mountain Lion" and OS X 10.9 "Mavericks" with the exception of the "AirPlay Mirroring" and "Power Nap" features. It also supports the current version of OS X 10.10 "Yosemite" and is compatible with Mac-to-Mac AirDrop, but other advanced features are not supported.

Please note that OS X "Lion" 10.7 and subsequent versions of OS X, like Mountain Lion, Mavericks, and Yosemite are not capable of running Mac OS X apps originally written for the PowerPC processor as these operating systems do not support the "Rosetta" environment. To run PowerPC applications on this Mac, it will be necessary to use Mac OS X 10.6 "Snow Leopard."

Also see: Which Macs are compatible with OS X Yosemite (10.10)? What are the system requirements? Which Macs support which features?

Minimum Windows:

XP SP2 (32-Bit)*

Maximum Windows:

8 (64-Bit)*

Details:

*Apple's Boot Camp 4 supports the 32-bit version of Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista, and Windows 7, as well as the 64-bit version of Windows Vista on this model. Apple's Boot Camp 5 supports the 64-bit versions of Windows 7 and Windows 8.

MacOS 9 Support:

None

Windows Support:

Boot/Virtualization

Details:

Also see: Are there any third-party programs to run Mac OS 9/Classic applications on Intel Macs?

For more on running Windows on Intel Macs, please refer to the exhaustive Windows on Mac Q&A.

Dimensions:

20.1 x 8.1 x 18.7

Avg. Weight:

39.9 lbs. (18.1 kg)

Details:

In inches - height by width by depth, (51.1 cm, 20.6 cm, 47.5 cm).

Original Price (US):

US$2899

Est. Current Retail:

US$2000-US$2200

Details:

Please note that on average the estimated current retail pricing of used systems is updated twice a year (please refer to the date on the bottom of the page for the date last updated).

Photo Credit: Apple, Inc.

Click on the underlined category text for additional details. The most commonly needed info is "open" by default, but all info is important. The icons correspond with the icons for each port on the computer.

Two Mini DisplayPorts and one dual-link DVI port provided by the default ATI Radeon HD 5770 graphics card. Supports dual display and mirroring modes. This default card is capable of supporting as many as three displays and the Mini DisplayPorts are capable of multichannel audio.

Also see: What graphics cards are available for the Mac Pro? Which models have which ports?

ADB:

None

SCSI:

None*

Details:

*Supports internal Serial Attached SCSI, external SCSI support can be added with an aftermarket PCIe card.

Serial (Standard):

None

Serial (Geoport):

None

Details:

N/A

USB:

5 (2.0)

Firewire:

4 (800)

Details:

This Mac Pro model has five USB 2.0 ports on the system (two on the front panel and three on the back) and four Firewire "800" ports (two on the front and two on the back). Apple also advertises that there are "two USB 2.0 ports on [the] included keyboard".

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